Pairing a Sansui 9090 with Paradigm Series 60? Thoughts?

DM2004

New Member
I am guessing it's not always the best idea to pair new speakers with a "vintage" receiver but hear me out... I have a Sansui 9090 receiver recently rebuilt by a reputable source. I very much want to get tower speakers that will work well with its power, as my current ones are not sufficient. I listen almost entirely to vinyl and my budget is $2000 or less. I do not know the ins and outs of everything on the market but I have been doing some research. A store near me is selling floor model Paradigm Series 60 speakers for a few hundred below retail, according to my research. (Clearly they want to move this last unit to focus on the Prestige sales…) I like what I have heard about them but do not know how they will pair with an older receiver. I also found a pair of monster Kef towers that will likely sound great but they are way too big for my space and they’re ugly, so they are a distant second. I am open to vintage speakers that pair well with the Sansui but finding a trustworthy reputable seller is not easy and there’s always the risk of needing to repair it in the future. So right now I am leaning towards the Paradigm but would love to hear your thoughts. Clearly my overall system is not high end but I like it and I will upgrade the whole system eventually… Thanks
 
With 125 wpc you should not have any problem driving them. Do be aware that they only go down to 45hz so you will need a quality powered sub. to get the rest of the music. Do you have room for it? Do you even want to fool with such things?
 
With 125 wpc you should not have any problem driving them. Do be aware that they only go down to 45hz so you will need a quality powered sub. to get the rest of the music. Do you have room for it? Do you even want to fool with such things?
Good point. I am not opposed to it. I definitely want to get to know the speakers first and feel them, once i get them, before thinking of a sub to pair with it. If you think there are good alternatives to the Series 60, I would love to hear your thoughts.
 
How big is your room approximately?. What is your preferred type of Music?
Let's say it's 18x20, maybe bigger. I measured it out a while back and my current set up for the room is good. To put it in perspective, the Paradigm Prestige 75 and 85s would work, the 95s would overpower the room. I mainly listen to jazz, soul and rock.
 
When I change something like speakers, I feel that is the most important component, and Jazz is not easy to reproduce with a realistic stage with clarity. If you can find some smaller Kef's you will be better off. With a 18 X 20 room bigger is always better, but do think about a used quality powered sub. They can be had around here in N.Y. for$50 to $125 on CL.
 
When I change something like speakers, I feel that is the most important component, and Jazz is not easy to reproduce with a realistic stage with clarity. If you can find some smaller Kef's you will be better off. With a 18 X 20 room bigger is always better, but do think about a used quality powered sub. They can be had around here in N.Y. for$50 to $125 on CL.
Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. I will definitely look into pairing with a sub. I just gotta find speakers powerful enough, in the $2K range, so I'm thinking Paradigm or KEF's. The guy who repaired it said my current Definitive Technology BP6B's are way too weak - seems like he's right, they do not sound good, at times very muted, even when I have switch them from right to left.
 
Where are you? You need to find a local AKer, to tickle your ears with a GOOD system, for a reference. I know that you just want something decent, but spending $2000 on a pair of speakers should be more than decent.
 
Where are you? You need to find a local AKer, to tickle your ears with a GOOD system, for a reference. I know that you just want something decent, but spending $2000 on a pair of speakers should be more than decent.
I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are some good stores here. I'm not familiar with AKer, I'll investigate.
 
Paradigm Studio 60s are good speakers. Whether or not you like the sound is a different matter. You have to listen to different things and there are quite a few to around. FWIW, I quite like my older Studio 100s.
 
I had a restored Sansui 9090. In fact it helped move me into vintage gear. I don't recommend the Kef's. Sansui 9090 and good Kefs don't get along so well. Not that they sound bad, but they never achieve their potential. And I think the Paradigm towers are 6 Ohm speakers. If that is the case, it is not optimal. Btw, I'm still using the same speakers I had with the Sansui, and they sound much better with different types of amps. I can recommend ads, Timeframes, Advent, and JBL should be pretty good with it.
 
i do get a nice sound with the newer small nhts and a 9090, your budget could probably get them in a nicer, large tower model, i always wanted to run a 9090 with a set of Martin Logans, with the new tweeter that came out a few years ago.
 
Try an ADS 810 or 710 with that Sansui. Way below your budget (may even find a pair of 910's), and they will go very well together.
 
I run a 6060 in my workshop which is 20 x 14. Right now it's powering a pair of DCM TF350s recapped with Clarity PX caps. It's a very nice sounding combo, works well on Classic Rock, Mowtown, and Jazz. I've also run a pair of KLH Model 6, recapped with Dayton films for a while. I actually feel the KLH had a little edge over DCM, but I moved the KLH to a system in the house because the wife liked the way they looked.
 
Paradigm Studio 60s are good speakers. Whether or not you like the sound is a different matter. You have to listen to different things and there are quite a few to around. FWIW, I quite like my older Studio 100s.
I was thinking of those Studio 100s. Tracking them down might be tough but looking into it. Thanks.
 
I had a restored Sansui 9090. In fact it helped move me into vintage gear. I don't recommend the Kef's. Sansui 9090 and good Kefs don't get along so well. Not that they sound bad, but they never achieve their potential. And I think the Paradigm towers are 6 Ohm speakers. If that is the case, it is not optimal. Btw, I'm still using the same speakers I had with the Sansui, and they sound much better with different types of amps. I can recommend ads, Timeframes, Advent, and JBL should be pretty good with it.
Great advice. I needed a few more names of brands to check out.
 
i do get a nice sound with the newer small nhts and a 9090, your budget could probably get them in a nicer, large tower model, i always wanted to run a 9090 with a set of Martin Logans, with the new tweeter that came out a few years ago.
Good to know there are some newer ones that pair well with the 9090. Thanks!
 
I run a 6060 in my workshop which is 20 x 14. Right now it's powering a pair of DCM TF350s recapped with Clarity PX caps. It's a very nice sounding combo, works well on Classic Rock, Mowtown, and Jazz. I've also run a pair of KLH Model 6, recapped with Dayton films for a while. I actually feel the KLH had a little edge over DCM, but I moved the KLH to a system in the house because the wife liked the way they looked.
Good heads up. I'm gonna see what I can find on line with your suggestions.
 
IMG_6099.JPG Hi All, I wanted to let you know that I found these nice DLS Elan floor standing speakers. They are big guys. So far they sound good. The foot print factor is another story but I'm making room for them! Thanks again for all of the advice.
 
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